Authority and statutory basis
- Act No. 3538 amends Section Seven Hundred and Ninety-Eight of the Administrative Code (Act No. 2711).
- The amendment specifically governs prerequisite qualifications for examination under the provisions of this chapter.
- The amended framework centers on submission of satisfactory proof to the Board.
Policy and intent
- Section 1 establishes examination eligibility prerequisites by requiring proof of (1) moral character and age, (2) specified pre-dental education, (3) a recognized dental diploma with prescribed curricular coverage, and (4) attendance and coverage of required courses reflected in schedules.
Prerequisite qualifications for exam
- Section 798 requires that every person applying for examination must furnish satisfactory proof to the Board of all listed prerequisites.
- Section 798(a) requires proof that the applicant is of good moral character and has completed the age of twenty-one years.
- Section 798(b) requires proof that before beginning the study of Dentistry, the applicant had finished a four-year highschool course as prescribed by the Department of Public Instruction of the Philippine Islands or its equivalent.
- Section 798(c) requires proof of a diploma as either doctor of dental medicine or doctor of dental surgery from an institution that meets the diploma and curriculum requirements stated in the provision.
- Section 798(d) requires proof that the applicant has duly covered and attended all the courses offered by the dental school, shown by a schedule of classes.
Dental diploma and school accreditation rules
- Section 798(c) requires that the diploma come from an institution duly accredited and legally constituted where the following branches are taught during four years in regular nine-month courses: anatomy, histology, physiology, bacteriology, chemistry, metallurgy, materia medica and therapeutics, anesthesia, toxicology, physical diagnosis, radiography, general pathology, oral pathology, oral surgery, operative technic, operative clinic, prosthetic technic, prosthetic clinic, crown and bridge work, dental anatomy, comparative dental anatomy, orthodontia, dental protozoology, dental ceramic, hygiene and sanitation, dental jurisprudence, dental economics and ethics.
- Section 798(c) defines “school” to include colleges and universities or other institutions of learning.
- Section 798(c) provides accreditation conditions for a school to be considered “duly accredited and legally constituted”:
- the school must be incorporated in the Philippine Islands in accordance with the Corporation Law; and
- it must follow the four-year course provided in the section; and
- after due inspection, it must be authorized in writing by the Secretary of Public Instruction to confer the degree “Doctor of Dental Surgery” or “Doctor of Dental Medicine” and issue the corresponding diplomas; or
- if it has not adopted the equivalent courses of studies specified, it must be recognized as reputable by the proper authorities of the country where established.
- Section 798(c) requires the diploma to be issued by an institution that meets the foregoing accreditation conditions and curricular teaching structure.
Attendance, course schedules, and submission to offices
- Section 798(d) requires applicants to show they duly covered and attended all the courses offered by the dental school of graduation.
- The showing under Section 798(d) must be made through the schedule of classes.
- Section 798(d) requires that the schedule of classes must be submitted every semester.
- Section 798(d) requires the schedule be submitted:
- one week after the classes have begun, to the Board of Dental Examiners and to the Office of the Commissioner of Private Education.
Substitution and effect of the amendment
- Section 1 replaces the prior text of Section Seven Hundred and Ninety-Eight of the Administrative Code with the amended qualification requirements.
- Section 2 preserves the status of those actually enrolled in dental schools or colleges in the Philippine Islands “this year,” preventing their exclusion or loss of eligibility based on the amended prerequisites.